1 WELCOME BACK

It was almost a month after being shot and getting the Ketamine, and House was finally ready to go back to work. He no longer had a limp, and the slight pain he sometimes got in his leg after waking up in the morning could easily be subsided with some Advil. He went to his medicine cabinet and took two of said medicine, then left his apartment and hopped on his bike. He liked the fact that there was no longer a cane snapped to the side of it, reminding him he was a cripple, tormenting him. He drove to the hospital, barely staying within range of the speed limit, and upon arriving, parked in the nearest parking spot he could find ( Which happened to be almost a hundred feet away from the main entrance). Perhaps the only downside to not being crippled anymore was the loss of handicapped parking rights.

He ran through the parking lot, enjoying the feeling, and only stopped when he was a few feet away from the door. No matter how fun it would be, he didn't think it would be wise to make the nurses, or at least the ones who hadn't heard about his miraculous healing, faint. That, or they would admit themselves to the psych. ward for having such a vivid and absurd hallucination. He pictured Nurse Brenda screaming her head of and then dropping to the floor, and snickered. He took a deep breath and walked in. As he passed the nurses station he heard gasps and whispers of , " So it IS true," and "Wow. A cane free House," or the much louder exclamations of " OH MY GOD! AAAHH!" The latter, he assumed, was being screamed by the poor souls who hadn't heard about his treatment.

As he headed to the third floor, he took immense pleasure in the fact that he could walk up the stairs with such ease. 'No more waiting for stupid elevators' he thought, and smiled. One of the female doctors passing him by in the hallway saw this smile, flinched, and ran to the locker room to see if there was something on her face. House didn't just smile for no reason, after all.

House entered his office and grabbed his iPod, then walked into the conference room. He had actually gotten there 10 minutes early. He almost got out of his chair to turn on the coffee machine, then thought against it. He decided to just make Cameron do it. Her coffee was better. He was pretty sure she always came in right on time, being the perfectionist that she was.

Exactly 9 minutes and 57 seconds later he was proved right, when Cameron walked calmly into the conference room and headed straight for the coffee machine, not even a half second late. She obviously hadn't noticed him yet, because when he murmured a quiet "Good Morning," She practically jumped out of her skin. It was an amusing site.

" House! Your back!" She exclaimed, still trying to get her heart to beat at a normal rhythm.

" I am? I thought I was off for a few more weeks," Was his sarcastic reply.

" I did too." Said Cameron seriously, looking at him questioningly.

" Being home for so long was boring." He explained, " Plus, I left my iPod here," He added.

"Well welcome back! How's the leg?" Asked Cameron conversationally, though seeing no cane around, she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Sure enough,

"It's great! " he said, with another one of his rare smiles. Cameron, however, didn't run to check her makeup or flinch, she just smiled back, glad he finally had a reason to be happy. They sat in a companionable silence until Chase walked in, followed by Foreman.

" Hey Cameron, Hey... House!" Chase froze and blinked stupidly, while Foreman almost knocked into him and then, seeing what stopped the Aussie exclaimed, " Woah! House? I thought you were off for another week or two!"

" Why does everyone have that reaction? I didn't think I was that scary to look at." Chase looked like he was about to say that House was that scary to look at, so Foreman stepped roughly on his foot, causing the blonde haired man to yelp and stumble a few feet backwards. Cameron watched the whole thing with a disapproving, " How do I even know you?" look. House, however, was amused by the display. Mainly because it caused Chase pain. He let a small laugh escape his lips, and Chase shot a rather ineffective glare in his direction.

" Aw, is poor Chasey Wasey hurt?" Asked House in a childish voice.

"Shut up." Snarled Chase, which only caused Foreman to laugh along with House.

" All I did was step on your toe." Foreman said, shaking his head. Chase, having enough, went over to the counter to fetch a cup of coffee.

" So...any cases?" Asked House half-heartedly, looking around at his team.

" Nope, we haven't been getting many lately, and the one we did have was solved yesterday." Responded Cameron.

"Oh." Said House. He thought for a moment, " Then Chase, go do my clinic duty." Chase groaned and stomped off down the hallway, grabbing House's name tag off the table on the way.

" Such a sissy little wombat isn't he?" Mused House, not really talking to anyone but himself. Not that the other two were listening anyway. Cameron was checking his mail, and Foreman was holding a medical journal in front of his face, though it looked like it had the had the sports pages peeking over the top of it. House suddenly had an idea, and tiptoed over to Cameron. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, " I bet you fifty bucks I can beat Foreman at basketball." Cameron looked surprised by this sudden admission, but quickly hid it and said, " Fine, your on. When and where?" ' This I gotta see.' She thought.

" If he agrees, which he better, it'll be today at lunch on the campus courts. We've got nothing else to do right?" House responded with something that resembled an evil grin. He then turned to Foreman, " Yo, Foreman my dog!" He half yelled, even though Foreman was no more then three feet away. Foreman rolled his eyes and looked over at House tiredly. "Yes?"

"Me and Cameron have a bet. I think I can beat you at basketball, she doesn't. You in?" Foreman laughed. " You're on," he said in between laughter, " you haven't done anything physical in years, it'll be a piece of cake. Besides," he added, "I rule at basketball."

" I may have been a cripple, but I'm not anymore, so don't be so sure of yourself." Said House smugly, " Meet me at the court at one today." He then headed to his office, saying quietly to Cameron on the way out, "Should I tell him I played in college? Nah, why bother." He continued walking past her and Cameron smirked and ran off to tell Cuddy. The older woman would not want to miss this.

"Dr. Cameron," Said Cuddy, looking up form the papers on her desk, " What brings you here? Something House did?"

"Nothings wrong doctor Cuddy," Said Cameron quickly, " But House did do something." Cuddy waited for an explanation and Cameron soon gave her one, " House made a bet with Foreman that he could be him at basketball, and I thought you might want to see it."

Cuddy's face brightened as she smirked. " Not only do I want to see it, I want in. Twenty bucks says House beats Foreman to a pulp." Cameron laughed, " He's really that good huh?"

" MVP in college two years in a row," Stated Cuddy.

"Oh, boy," Said Cameron, " Foreman doesn't know what he's gotten himself into does he?"

" I'm afraid not," Responded Cuddy. " So, when and where?" Cameron told her the time and place House had said earlier. Cuddy waited until Cameron had left before picking up her phone. Wilson had to hear about this.

Three hours later, House and Foreman were on the court. They had been playing for the last twenty minutes, and it was a tie game, three to three. Wilson, Cuddy, Cameron and Chase, who had heard about it from Cameron after his, well, House's clinic duty, were all standing on the sidelines watching the two move around the court with impressive expertise. Wilson and Cuddy had knowing grins on their faces as House stole the ball from Foreman with little effort, while Chase and Cameron still looked shocked at the sudden show of a previously unknown talent. House scored a basket from the foul line, earning him another three points. Foreman was starting to get nervous, they had agreed that the first one with over fifteen points wins, and House already had six. He crossed the ball between his legs and dodged House with an impressive spin move. He then did a lay up.

"Five to six," He said, Tossing the ball to House.

The game went on like this for another half hour, unit House scored one last time, winning the game.

" I knew it!" Said Cuddy. She collected her winnings: thirty bucks from Wilson and twenty from Cameron. House and Foreman walked off the court, House looking rather pleased with himself and Foreman looking a little bit angry, " Good game," he said to House as they reached the sidelines.

"Yeah, thanks," Responded House, only half listening, " Now to collect my winnings!" He walked over to Cameron who sighed and handed over fifty dollars.

As he walked back to the hospital with his team he decided he could get used to this. Kicking Foreman's butt was fun. Foreman ran up to him a moment later, " Hey, wanna play again sometime?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Next week. same time, same place." Said Foreman.

" It's a deal," House shook Foreman's hand and then said menacingly, " You are so going down."

"Whatever you say old man." Replied Foreman. For a quick moment House wished he still had his cane, so he could whack Foreman with it, but the thought quickly vanished. He could walk, he could run, and he could cream Foreman at basketball, and probably any other sport for that matter. 'Yeah,' he thought, 'I could definitely get used to this.'